ottenheimer



R. E. oTTENHEl-MER Y April 24, 1928.

.REFRIGER'ATING CASE V- 2 Sheets-Shee l WWW Original Filed Jan. 31, 1925-L 2")4 IW%%\ 6 aww/t hda rm/bU/f f. UNCH/fennel Egg.

R. OTTENHEIMER REFRIGERATING CASE April 24, 1928. Re. 16,941 i OriginalFiledv Jan. 51,.' 1925 2 Shee'ts- Shee 2 @1M/fd man@ Apr., 192s.

. Rie-"16.941

UNITED sfravrlzsy 'PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN E. OTTENHEIMEB, OI BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ABIBIGNOB T0OLTEII'HBIIIB-A BROS., INC., 0l' BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, .A CORPORATION 0FMARYLAND mnmana'rma. casa.

original no. umass, ama rebr'uary a, 192s, semi naam, meannuary ai, im.

l reissue illed February 8,

This invention relates to lrefrigerators and particularly toarefrigerated show-case provided with means for illuminating itsinterior.

Illumination of refrigerated show-cases is a difficult roblem for thereason that the heating c ect of the lamps must be minimized.Satisfactory illumination cannot be had from lamps located outside thecase, and so far as I am advised no satisfactory way of using themwithin the case has been devised. The present invention solves thisroblem by the 2o-ordination of a number ofP special features, certain ofwhich are not novel in themselves, in such manner that in conjunctionthey roduce a new and better result.

General y stated, I locateuthe lamps in a portion of the frame structureof the case at the top where they are completely housed and may readilybe concealed from the cus-v tomer. Thou h they are then in effectwithnot pass closeto this glass panel.

in the case, t ey are isolated from the in- 'terior of the case by aglass panel throu h which their light is yproJected. Any lig ttransmitting material which would serve asv a reasonably good insulatoragainst the assage of heat might be substituted for g ass. The heat ivenof by the-lam s is largely dissipated y convection throng vent portsformed in the top of thelamp-housing structure.

The glass panel b'elowy the lamps serves to `reduce the transmission ofheat, but alone is not always adequate to e'ect this result. AccordinglyI so locate the lamps and so arrange certain screens or bales that thecirculation of air within the refrigerator does Stated differently, Imaintain immediately. below the panel a layer of inert ornon-circulating air which serves efectuall to retard the transferofheat, and whic ,ras ,it becomes heated, inherently seeks a position inthe top of the case outside the path of circulation within the case.Whenever the case is open for service there is an opportunity for partor all of this heated air toescape, and this assists in jdissipating theheat of the lampsand reducing their heating action within the case. l

The advantages of the invention may be secured with'structures differingsomewhat REISSUE'D Application for 192s. serial n5251920.

in detail, but the best embodiment of it lmown to me is illustrated inthe accompany- 1n drawings, in which,

ig. 1 is a vertical transverse section Fig. 1.

ig. 3 is a front elevation of the complete case.

Fig. 4`is an enlarged fragmentary section through the upper portion ofthe case.

Fig.'5 is a transverse section showing the construction of the .combinedbaille and display sign.

` In the drawings certain structural details, suchas parts of theframing and insulation of the bod ofthe show-case, are omitted tosimplify tiiedrawin Any of the known bod structures ma isc used.

he refrigeratedl by yany suitable means such as the ase 11. Its bottomconsistsof a water-tight insulated body portion 12 whose form is shownin the drawings, and whose exact construction is not materialto theinvention.` Ordinarily it would be constructed of wood with the usualinsulation, and would be internall lined withvsme non-corrosive metal asis amiliar to those skilled in the art. The floor of the body rtion12\slopes forward to a drain 13 of or inary form which is protected by ascreen 14.

show-case is su ported The body portion 12 is higher at its rear 15 islocated about two-thirds of the distance,

from the front to the back of the case. It

extends the entire length of the case, but is s aced from the top andbottom thereof, as c early shown in Fig. 1, tovpermit air circulationrearward over it and forward be.

neath it.

A flange 17l carried by the This shelf rests at its forward end on anangie stri 18. The shelf 16 is preferably construc of a Alurality ofsections for ease in removal, and 1s provided along the edge `adartition 15 I 'serves to support the shelf 16 at its rear end.

kthe show-case. The o enin .n

pre er the location jacentthefront of the case with an upstandingrearwardly inclined bame 19. This preff erably partly overh a series ofair ports 20 formed in tlie shel 16 along the front of 20might beotherwise located, but shown.

a feature of the present invention, but I have -chosen for illustrationa type of shelf described and 'claimed in my companion' applicationSerial No. 6,150, filed January l31, 1925, and conseguently'I make noclaim to the shelf per se 1n the present application.

. overlies the partition 15 and serves as the between them. They arebridged at the top by an overlying strip yof marble, translucentv Blocksof ice may be placed. in the lspace to the rear of the partition 15, orrefrigerating. coils for mechanical refrigeration ma be there installed.l'Also it is feasible, thoug not generally necessary, to place crushedice or refrigerating coils beneath the shelf, leaving the necessaryspace 'for air circulation.

A longitudinal frame member or rail 21 rear support for a display caseof a proirimately triangular cross section. T is 1ncludes twolongitudinal top rails 22 and 23 spaced apart to receive the lightequipment or opaque glass, or the like, 24,'retained by clamp stri s25.v When translucent material l is used articles placed thereon maybe-illumi` nated. The member 23 is recessed on its top face to 'form lonnarrow slots 26 which serve to ventlatet e lamp space between the -rails22 and 23. A series of clipsor crossy members 27 extending between thelower faces of the rails 22 `and A23 car alight transmittin panel 28whichv iso ates the lamp space tween the rails 22 and 23 from theinterior Aof the show-case. This panel is ordinaril candescent ampslighted in the usual man-Y ner are shown at 29.

The front of the show-case is made up of glass panels and is doubleglazed, as indiy cated aty 30, 31. These .panels are ilheldbe'- -12there are hinged vdoors 38 whic "opened to permit the insertionvof theneces- 'tween mold strips 32 on the bodygo'portion 12 and' onV the frontrail 22, and a by `inclined rabbeted frame members 33 which connect thefront rail 22 withthe front of4 the body portion 12. The rear of .thedisplay case portion is closed by a series of sintgle glazed slidingsash 34, v35.Y These sli e on separate parallel tracks or their endswhen closed, as is usual. the rail 21 and the rear of the body etweenportion sageicewheniceis i .y

pending from the front rail 22 within the case' in a substantiallyvertical position is a member which serves vas a' combined bao anddisplay sign. -Itx made of glass. Ordinary inmay be- Aof 43, however,hal-'the effect of vchecking anyl baille function is the one ofprimaryimpora si n and for the illumination thereof, I re er to embody thesefeatures in it. The aille, therefore, consists of a frame member 39arranged. to permit the passage of light,

vand having a fixed channel member 40 at its The exact construction ofthe shelfisnot top and a swinging channel-like sign-retain- `tance, butsince its location is suitable for f ing member 41 at its bottom. Themember 4l is mounted on a spring hinge 42 which normall retains it inits upward or signsup orting position. Y

he sign 43 consists of 'an imperforate strip and therefore acts as aneffective baille. This strip preferably is translucent andcarriesletters or characters formed in opaque material, but any otherarrangement may be used provided the characters are rendered visible bythelamps 29.- The signs 43 are inserted by drawing down,the'spr'ing-held member 41, inserting the upper edge 1n the channel 40,and then` releasing the springurged member 41 so that it swings'up andengages the lower ed e of the sign.

lThe ends of the isplay portion of the case are closed by lass panels,and are double glazed, as inicated at 44, 45. In an illuminated casetransparent end lpanels are satisfactory, but they ,are objectionable inan unilluminated case because of the ef- Afects of cross lights. VHencewhere the `case Vis to be lighted only partof the time, the

interior end panel may to advantage. be sil- `Vered so astoact as alight reector and kshut off cross lights which would enter through theends.v The Adouble glazing is an Aimportant factor in effectiveinsulation.

panels are quite sharply inclined to the rear, `and together with therear sliding doors confine a narrow inertair zone which-extends,well-above the path of air'circulation. The rts 20, is'

circulating air rises through the deflected to the rear ,by the ba e 19,and

passes into the'refrigerating space through the slot-like portbetweenthetop partition 1.5 and the bottom of the rail 21. This current, flowingrearwardly across the case, would have a tendency to cause a secondacirculation or eddy in the'air in the top o the case, and if suchcirculation occurred, a -certain `amount of the air heated bythe lamps29 would mix with the air circulatin through thefshelf and downward ththe refrigeratin s rais t e temperature in t e ttom the case. The baleformed by rtion e sign ace and thusy lof the l ino eddy How, andpreserves-J in the top or apex portionof the case a practically inertbody.

of air which absorbs most of the heat radiating' .into the casefrom thelamps, and pre.- vents its convection into the cold air at the lowerportion of the case. Even if the air in the top of the case shouldbecome quitehighly heated, much of it would escape whenever the doors34, 35 are opened, as they' are whenever sales are made.

Another effect performed primarily by the bale 19, but assistedv in somedegree bythe baflling effectof the sign 43, is the preservation adjacentthe inner glass panel 3l of a non-circulating or inert body of air.

For this reason the glass panels 30 and 3l are not as cold as they wouldotherwise be,

\ and condensation on the outside of the glass occurs to a far lessextent than with eases lacking these baffles.

The location of the lamps in a narrow pocket at the apex of the case isdesirable, both as minimizing the heating effect o'f'fthe lamps and asofferinga position favorable to the very best illumination. Everythingon theV shelf 16 is illuminated. The sign baille 43 is also' illuminatedand shades the interior surface of the glass panel 31'. This reducesreflection and refraction effects which would tend toproduce ghosts andreduce the visibility through the glass from certainl angles.

In short, the various details of the case are so designed andcoordinated as toV secure uniform illumination from a concealed source,effective arrest ,and dissipation of heat from said source, andsustained visibility through the transparent walls of the display case.With these major features are combined effectively placed and brightlyilluminated signs whichare so combined with the necessary baflles thatthey never interfere with the. desired air circulation.

lVhat is claimed is,- l. The combination 'of a having a wide bottom, atopdefined by a Vnarrow frame structure, and an inclined transparentfront sustained at its upper edge by said framestructure; artificiallighting nieans concealed within the to of said frame structure; andrefrigeratin 'means arranged tovexert a localized refrigerating eflectin the lower portion of said case.

2. The combination 'of a dis lay case having a wide bottom, aztopdefliied by a narrow frame structure, and an .inclined transparent frontsustained atits up r edge by said frame structure; artificia ightingmeans housedwithin .said frame structure;

a shelf for displayingl goodsin the lower portionof said case;refrigerating means including a baflle arranged to cause a current ofcool air to circulate beneath and closely overv said shelf; and a bailleadjacent said lighting means arranged to obstruct air cirtop; a combinedl display case .beneath said lights, and serving to maintain therean'inert body of relatively Warm air. 4. The combination of a displaycase having a wide bottom, a top defined by a narrow frame structure,yand an inclined transparent front Sustained at its upper edge by saidframe member; artificial light.- ing means concealed within said framestructure; a translucent partition retarding the flow of heat from saidlighting mea-ns to the lower portion of .said case; and refrigeratingmeans operative in the lower portion of said case. l

5. vThe combination of 4a display case having a wide bottom, a narrowtop and an inclined transparent front panel; artificial lighting meansmounted in said narrow top;

-a light transmitting partition for retardincg the flow of heat from thelighting means to the lower portion of the case; a baffle extendingdownward from saidvpartition to pre- -serve a body of lnertair adjacentthereto;

and refrigeratmg means arranged to pro-4 duce a circulation of cold 'airin .said case.

6. The combination of a display case having a wide bottom, a narrow topand an inclined transparent front panel; artificial' illuminatiner meansmounted in said narrow sign and baille located vbeneath saidilluminating means i-n position to be lighted thereby and to maintain abody of non-circulating air immediately beneath the illuminating means;and refrigerating means arranged to produce a circulation of` f cold airin the lower portion-of said case.

7 The combination of a display case having a wide bottom, a top framestructure including closely spaced members, and an inclined transparentfront panel supported at its top edge by said frame structure;artificiall .lighting means mounted between said .closely spacedmembers; a glass panel underlying saidl lighting means; means forventing heated air from the s ace above said underlying panel; a baillejacent said underlying panel and serving to retain a body of inert airadjacent thereto; refrigerating means serving to produce an eneath andadair circulation in the lower portion of said case; and a bailleservingtok direct said circulation away from said front panel.

8. The combination of a display case hav-v ing a transparent front;artificial lightin means mounted adjacent the upper edge'o saidtransparent front adapted to illuminate the interior of, saidcase;refrigerating means serving to produce an air circulation in said case'and a baille mounted adjacent saidv artificial lighting means in the uper por-l tion of said case serving to `retar air circulation adjacentsaidlighting means, and to shade said transparent front panelfrom lighttransmitted directly fromsaid artificial lightingmeans. p f

9. The combination of a display case; ai\ ticial lighting means mountedin thetop of said case; a translucent panel mounted `within said caseand isolating said `lighting means from the main interior portion ofsaid case; Ventilating means for discharging heated air from saidlighting means; and

` refri erating @means serving to produce an air circulation in saidcase.

10. The combination of ay display case having at least one transparentwalll refrigerating means associated with' said case and so arranged asto induce convection cooling currents in the air contained in said case;illuminating means at the top of the case isolated from the interiorthereof by a light transmitting partition ;'and means serving to controlthe iowof said convection currents Land minimize sucli yfiow adjacentsaid transparent wall and said partition.

11. The combination of a Adisplay case having -a wide bottom` a topdefined by a vrelatively narrow frame structure, and Van inclinedtransparent front sustained at its upper edgebysaid frame structure;artificial lighting meansk housed within the top of said framestructure; and refrigerating means operative in the lower portion ofsaid case.

`12. The combinationv of a` display case having a wide bottom, a topdefined by a relatively -narrow frame structure, and an inclinedtransparent front sustained at its upper edge vby said frame structure;artifif cial lighting means housed within said 'frame structure; a lighttransmitting partition rel y tarding the flow of heat from said lightingmeans to the lower portion of said case; and refrigerating meansoperative in the lower portion of said case. y

13. The combination of a display case; artificial lighting means mountedin the top of Vsaid case; a light transmitting panel lmounted withinsaid case and isolating said v lighting means from the'main interiorportion of said case; Ventilating means for discharging heated air fromsaid lighting means;` and refrigerating lmeans serving to produce an aircirculation in said oase.v

14.` The combination of a" display refrigerator; a lighttransmitting'panel mounted within said refrigerator aiidisolating aportion thereof from tlie main refrigerator portion artificial lightingneans mounted in -said isolated portion; and Ventilating means fordischarging from said isolated portion Athe heat generated by saidlighting means.,

In testimony whereof I have signedl my -name to thisl specifi ation.

REUBENl OTTENHEIMER.

